February No Buy Update

February 2025 No Buy Reflections

February was more of a struggle with no shopping than I anticipated. I did buy a few things that were definitely NOT on the “exception list.” I did not realize how much dopamine I get from shopping and buying things. I had a few days where I was bored and feeling low, where I was lying on the couch, scrolling on some shopping app or website, feeling whiny about not buying things. That’s when I realized that it wasn’t really about shopping it was about how ADHD is a dopamine deficiency! I had been working on my Stars Hollow Snow Village and doing my hobbies, but they weren’t giving me the kind of dopamine I wanted on that one bored Saturday. I didn’t buy something random that day – which is win! I did however, buy two things that I really do not need.

First – I was looking at Facebook Marketplace, which was not a good idea, only temptation can be found there! I noticed that someone had listed the broken fountain pictured to the right. I knew that fountain. I had seen it when it was for sale at a local consignment shop, Repeat Street. I had wanted it but waited a day or two to see it in person and by then it was gone, purchased by the woman who was listing it on Facebook marketplace, months later. She had it listed for $40 so my husband and I drove almost 1-1/2 hours one way to go and buy it. The koi fish is broken, but I believe I can repair it. Jon will have to fix the cord because the woman’s dogs chewed it but all in all, it’s gorgeous and will be a fun project for us both. I looked it up and when it was new, these fountains sold for over $1200! Definitely a buy that I do not regret, I knew that if I let it slip through my fingers a 2nd time I would regret it for sure.

The second purchase I’m still debating and I may resell it just because it was SO damn expensive! I saw this Spell & The Gypsy Collective dress on Thredup for $140. It’s much too expensive for a casual dress but it’s so beautiful, it has gold threads running through it that you can’t see in the photo from Thredup. It retailed for $299 in 2021 and I’ve seen new ones up for resale for $399! I told myself that if I didn’t owe anything on taxes, I would buy it. It fits and it’s very pretty but I am debating selling since I know I could make a profit (the same style & size used sold for $275 on Poshmark) and I think mentally I am going to have a hard time wearing a dress that was so expensive to anything other than a very special occasion. I’m not sure I regret the purchase, as I could sell it and make a profit of $100, but it clothing is the number one thing I am not buying this year and I do feel bad for breaking the promise to myself. I also just paid $132 to see my pain management doctor since I have not yet met this year’s insurance deductible so I was reminded that there are expensive necessities still to come.

Other Spending in February

In February, my Amazon Subscribe & Save was $231.34 which was truly horrifying to me!!!! I think the reason that every single item you subscribe to is shown priced singly is so that you don’t think about how much you are spending. Since I am working on purchasing things in places other than Amazon, first I went and unsubscribed to things that I don’t get often that were in the shipment like my electric toothbrush and venus razor refills. The razor refills were $23 and I didn’t need them yet so I was able to return them. The next time I need to purchase either of those things, I will try to find them someplace else. I decided to keep my protein powder to Chocolate and Vanilla rather than having more of a variety of flavors, and I will be buying those directly from the manufacturer Quest, who offers their own subscribe and save. It will still cost me $10 more per month than Amazon but it’s worth it to me to stop relying so heavily on Amazon since I don’t support the way they treat their workers among other unethical practices. I am still trying to figure out what to do about other supplements. I would prefer not to spend more on everything. 

Because I have been experiencing increased stress since mid-January 2025, I spent $115 on a massage and $48 on CBD. Technically I do save for 6 massages a year but often I just keep that money in savings and never spend it, so it is in my budget. I spent $22 on some figures for the Snow Village and $12 on a Jeep for the Snow Village but that does fall well within my monthly hobby budget. I spent $60 on 3 bottles of the hair gel I use. Stocking up was against my rules, however I found out that my favorite gel is being discontinued. It’s truly the only thing that I have used that makes me like how my hair looks, so I deemed it acceptable since once it’s sold out I can never buy it again. I had $143 in medical bills from 2024 that I somehow missed to a surgery center for one of my procedures so that is an unexpected expense that I paid in February.

I don’t love that I spent $350 shopping in February but a huge chunk of that was the dress.

In spite of my shopping, I did save $235 however I did not make any extra payments toward credit cards in February. Just the usual amount I put toward debt each month. I am putting the savings in a high yield savings account and it made $0.52 in January which is kind of cool. It is motivating to see that even a small amount of money is making money for me.

The Totals

I will be keeping a running tally of total money saved and paid toward debt in 2025 on each monthly check-in post.

• Total saved: $651.52
• Total paid toward debt: $1,350